The Fabric of Your Flesh
by winchestergosp
Summary: Inspired by Once Upon A Time's Red Riding Hood tale.


**The Fabric of Your Flesh.**

_If you could only see the beast you've made of me_

I can hear the thumping of their hearts. I can smell the fear radiating off of them. Why is everything so heightened? The moon's light is the most beautiful thing I've ever laid eyes on; it looks as if the silver light is glowing. There must be something wrong. My eyes must be just blurring in the cold. No. No, that can't be. Why do I feel this way? The moon isn't the most beautiful creature I've seen. No. No, that creature has an emerald glow, not silver. Where is he? Why can I barely remember his face? I know I used to see his profile so clearly, why is it suddenly so distorted? Where is my memory going? Why do I hunger for destruction and pain! I don't want to hurt anybody! Why am I aching to run? My body wants me to lunge foreword. I can feel the moon's light, its power registering in every inch of my body. It's amazing this feeling. It's like I'm being completed. But it's wrong. I can remember something… something about green? What about green? It doesn't matter now. I can't remember. This feeling is too strong to be fought.

_I held it in but now it seems you've set it running free_

His feet ripped into the ground hard and fast. Dirt and snow flew with every passing movement. He could hear the agonized cries from a mile in the distance. It was the very sound that made him feel four years old again. He first suffered those agonized cries when his baby brother was no more than six months old. Since that time he'd promised himself he'd never allow anything to hurt him in such a way again. But who could have predicted this? He couldn't. And now he was paying for it; paying for his impaired judgment. The cries seemed further away than they were; the sound of his own heart racing covered them. There was too much panic, too much hysteria. How fast is it really possible to lose your most cherished possession?

_Screaming in the dark, I howl when we're apart_

"NO!" The woman wept despairingly. She crumpled to her knees, tears burning her eyes and chocking her breaths. She knew what had to be done. That wasn't the question. The question was could she do it? Even if meant saving a man's life? How easy would it be to kill something you love so much? Something, that when you hear its voice, suddenly every fiber of your being comes alive. How easy? How thin is the line between right and wrong? If you were faced with the choice to kill what you love the most to save what you love the most, would you take that opportunity? Or would you find yourself locked in a ball, unable to react while everyone else suffers?

_Drag my teeth across your chest to taste your beating heart_

A deep growl; a vicious growl - that was the sound that sang in the woods this winter's night. The fog from the snow made this night more ominous than one could have thought possible. It was a whiteout in the dead of night. Snow had been falling all week long, and it still hasn't let up. The fresh, bitter snow highlighted the coarse dark coat on the beast that is a slave to the moon. Its eyes were something of a collection of colors. The narrowed eyes carried shades of scarlet, gold, and jade. Its jaw opened and teeth bore rabidly. Murky crimson blood dropped from its chin and colored the fresh snow. Its long claws dug into the earth, taking snow and soil with it upon retraction. Its entire body heaved with its deep breathing. With each breath you could see the extension of its ribs. This thing was a beast. Its sole purpose: A starvation of blood. A lust so powerful not even the bonds of love could shake it. Or could it? If love stood before it, ready to do whatever it took to reverse this curse, would it actually make a difference?

_Now there's no holding back, I'm aching to attack_

_My blood is singing with your voice, I want to pour it out_

"Who's there?" A squeaky female voiced called from behind the closed shutters. "I'm just a poor old granny."

"Let me in." The man tried to make his voice fierce and intimidating, but he was on the brink of laughter. "Or I'll…"

"Yes?" The female asked; she was trying to encourage him to continue the charade.

"Or I'll huff and I'll puff and I'll blow your house down!" The man declared, trying to keep his voice steady.

The shutters flung open and the female leaned her head out the window. Her honey eyes were bright with delight at the sight of the man she adored so. "Yeah, I guess your breath is pretty powerful." She laughed.

"Oh, really?" The man chuckled. Lines fanned out the corners of his sparkling celadon eyes as he grinned widely. As he stepped toward the woman his hands cupped her cheeks so she couldn't turn away. His rosy full lips came crashing down on hers and traced their way all over her face. His lips left a trail of fire on her wherever they traced. She couldn't contain her giggles as he invaded her.

Needing a breather from the kisses and her own laughter, the girl placed her palms to his buff chest and gently pushed him back. She continued laughing in huffs. "I'd better close up before my grandma catches us, Dean. She doesn't like it when I open the shutters." The girl cautioned him, still smiling faintly.

"Don't you mean she just doesn't like it when you're with me, Haley?" Dean smirked mischievously. He was happy to play the bad-boy part. He'd never been the type of guy you take home to meet your mother anyway, so it wasn't a big deal to him that he didn't have Ellen's blessing.

"Yes, that's what I meant." Haley admitted in a lower voice. "It's just she's very protective and she just doesn't know you that well. She thinks you're-"

"-I'm no good for you." Dean finished what he thought to be the direction of the conversation.

"No, no!"Haley exclaimed. Her eyes bulged after realizing how loud her voice was. Her hand clamped over her mouth just for the effect. Her eyes softened after Ellen didn't show up to scold her. "Dean, it's not you. It's her. She just doesn't…" Haley was scrambling for something to make Dean feel better. Surely she could come up with some kind of lie. Truth is he hit it on the nail. At least that was what Haley was led to believe since her meeting this man.

"It's okay. I don't mind." Dean smiled.

"Haley!" A new voice hollered from a distance. Haley's eyes grew wild; she knew that voice anywhere. It was Ellen. Could she possibly know Dean was here?

Dean was the first to react. His lips softly brushed Haley's. "I'll see you tomorrow." After another quick peck he dashed from the house and headed into the woods. Haley wanted to watch until he disappeared into the darkness, but Ellen's barking panicked her. Haley was quick to pull the shutters back and lock the window securely.

"Yes, granny?" Haley asked innocently, trying to cover up how winded she was from all the kissing. There were a group of men standing in the doorway. Each man had subtle differences to him, but all carried weapons and wore messy, tangled beards that made it difficult to tell them apart. "What's going on?" Haley asked guarded.

"Nothing that concerns you, child. Just a bunch of fools trying to get themselves killed over a few dead animals." Ellen gruffly informed her granddaughter.

Haley cocked her head as her brows pulled together, questioningly. "So, you what? You just called me here to keep an eye on me?" She knew her grandmother was only trying to keep her safe, but it was times like these that she made Haley feel as small as a little child.

"Evening, Red. We are here tonight because we are organizing a hunting party for the loose wolf and we could use extra hands. The beast is killing our cattal and majority of us rely on those animals to survive. We can no longer sit by and watch as it rages on." An average sized man spoke up. He was clearly taking point in the group. 'Red' was a nickname the villagers came up with for Haley. All her life Haley had never gone out without wearing a velvet red cloak her grandmother had given to her. The way Ellen admonished Haley whenever she took it off you'd think she'd die without it.

Haley shot to life with enthusiasm at the revelation. People were taking action. This was something she yearned to be part of. "You're hunting for the wolf? Granny, can I go with them, please! I'll be safe in a big group!" Haley tugged on Ellen's sleeve, eagerly.

"Don't be ludicrous!" Ellen exclaimed. "You are staying inside behind locked walls and you are keeping that red hood on!" Ellen ordered forcefully. "You know red repels wolves."

"They're not wearing red." Haley mumbled childishly. All her life Ellen had told her that the color red warded off wolves. But no one else in town ever wore red. No one believed the crazy babblings of an old woman.

"They're damn fools too." Ellen scoffed at the men. She already knew their death sentences were signed. "There's only one more night left in the lunar circle, let it take a few more cows and sheep. Now go home for God's sake!" Ellen slammed the door in their faces. Of course she was their go to person for hunting; she came from a long line of hunters. Very few people knew the extent of just what her family hunted though. Part of the reason she didn't trust Dean with Haley too. Dean came from a line of hunters. Hunters put civilians in just as much danger as they try to keep them from. It was a no win situation and Ellen wasn't about to let Haley tango with reckless hunters.

"I hope they kill that stupid wolf. Then at least we can all go back to our lives." Haley muttered.

"You just wanna roam around the woods with that wastrel, Dean Winchester." Ellen accused.

"He's not a wastrel!" Haley growled. Dean Winchester was many things, but a waste? That was something Haley knew above all else was untrue. It baffled her that anyone could speak of Dean like such. "He works hard and he's a good man!" Haley declared, defending his honor.

"Oh, I am sure he is." Ellen agreed sarcastically with a subtle roll of her eyes. "Now, come on. You know what to do." And she did. It was sleeping hour, the wolf's hunting hours. The moon was in its apex. It was time to prepare for a long night. Haley aided her grandmother in boarding up the door and windows with large wood planks. After the work was done they said their goodnights and Haley went off to sleep as Ellen sat in her rocking chair, shotgun laced with silver bullets in hand, and guarded the door sleeplessly for the remainder of the night.

_The saints can't help me now, the ropes have been unbound_

_I hunt for you with bloody feet across the hallow'd ground_

Night had passed without any disturbances around their household. Haley had risen later than normal and felt oddly groggy. Ellen hadn't moved her position since the night until Haley came out to greet her. One of Haley's many chores included checking the henhouse for fresh eggs, but today she got much more than bargained for upon arrival. She found several of the hunters from last night sprawled out across the snowy fields in numerous pieces. Pools of their blood dyed the white snow a maroon red. It was a horrific sight. She's been exposed to war and corpses before, but no matter how many times she saw a dead body, she was never prepared. The shock sent her falling to her knees with a gasp. She wheezed furiously for many minutes. Something about this was so wrong, much more wrong than it should have been.

Haley began seeing everything in black flashes. She was blacking out from the shock. When she came to the final time her eyes squinted after being assaulted by the sight of bright red and orange flames. The smell of the burning wood and the heat from the fire calmed her nerves as her last memory came rushing back to the surface. "Hey, you." That sweet, sultry voice made Haley's heart bang viciously against her ribs. A gentle tingle flowed down her spine and an uprising butterflies rocked inside of her stomach as she peered into those beautiful green eyes. The fire caused Dean's eyes to have a darker luminescent glow to them. It was as if they were on fire too; everything was fire when Dean was present.

"Hi…" Haley spoke softly; she was still a little disoriented. She didn't even remember how she came to be here. "What happened?" It was evident by her voice she was still a little shaken.

"You fainted. I always knew you were a bit of a lightweight." Dean took a shot at his usual attempt of humor in a tense situation. When Haley failed at returning even a weak smile Dean knelt down at her side and brushed her cheek tenderly with his fingers. "I was coming to make sure you and Ellen were alright. When I found you lying by the well in a sea of dead bodies I damn near had a heart attack." Dean's tone grew serious and eyes tightened at the thought of losing her. "I thought you were…" He trailed off unable to even finish that sentence.

Noticing the desperation in his eyes for reassurance, Haley leaned her forehead into his and gave him a light kiss. "I love you." Haley confessed after pulling back to look into his eyes. She needed to say that and not just for him.

Dean gazed into Haley's chocolate eyes. They were so big they could swallow your soul whole. A warm sensation rushed throughout Dean, traveling across his entire body. His arms were decorated with goose bumps. Haley's eyes held natural beauty that none could replicate. She took his breath. She took everything. "Love you too." Dean smirked.

"Granny told them not to go out. She told them just to let it alone and they didn't listen." Haley choked.

"There's nothing you could've done, Red." Dean clamped his hands on either side of her cheeks.

"Course not, I couldn't have done anything. It isn't like I could've gone with them or helped them search for it. No, because then my Gran would lose her mind; but what about my mind, Dean? Am I just supposed to go back to my house knowing those men died right there and I did nothing to avenge their deaths?" Haley rose with anger. She wasn't one to express anger often, only when things truly upset her.

"Calm down." Dean's hands fell down to Haley's shoulders to hold her in place.

"Don't tell me to calm down." Haley snapped, lifting her arms up and swatting Dean's away. "Those men came to my house, asked me and my Gran for help, and she wouldn't let me help them!" Haley cried.

"She didn't want what happened to them happen to you!" Dean shouted back with an equal amount of emotion.

"I could have helped them." Tears fell from Haley's closed eyes and soaked Dean's arms as he held her. Haley continued mumbling 'I could have helped them' over and over again as Dean stood silently holding her.

It was late afternoon by the time the snowfall finally came to a stop. Haley had cried herself to sleep in Dean's arms. Few hours later she was roused by the sound of Sam's voice, the younger brother of Dean's. He was tall unlike his brother, had shaggy hair and his eyes mirrored Haley's. Dean and Sam were talking about searching for clues to the wolf's nest. Dean and Sam were both from a long line of hunters on their mother's side, so this didn't surprise Haley. Haley immediately said she wanted to join them, her guilt unable to let her rest for long. Dean without hesitation shot her down, but Sam didn't see the harm in it considering Haley's grandmother, Ellen, was also from a long line of hunters; Sam teased that Dean was just afraid of her reaction were she to find out about them taking her only granddaughter out on a hunt. Dean dismissed this, countering his uncertainty was because of how Haley would react to seeing the sight of those fallen men again. Regardless who was right, Haley joined the party and the trio went off into the woods by Haley's farm to search for clues.

It took just under an hour for the trio to find huge footprints in the snow. These footprints were unlike any had seen before however. They started out animal and morphed into human. Haley felt herself being overcome by fear at the revelation that this beast was human by day and wolf by moonlight. Needing to speculate for a while on the matter, Sam and Dean walked Haley back to her door and promised they'd let her know if they found out anything else. Haley went straight to get washed up, she knew Ellen would have found out she's been gallivanting around the woods with the two men she'd forbid her to, so she may as well take a relaxing bath to prepare herself for the next conversation coming her way, or rather, the next argument coming her way.

_Like some child possessed, the beast howls in my veins_

"No. There's no way." Dean shook his head and tossed his jacket onto a shabby rocking chair, unable to even fathom the possibility.

"Come on, Dean, think about it." Sam implored. "Those prints lead straight to Haley's house. And every animal death was in the exact same area. We both know werewolves only hunt during the lunar cycle; tonight's our last chance, man."

Dean turned around, his eyes filled with torture. Dean was very gifted in concealing his emotions, though like any human, he could only hide so much. Despite how strong he was, Dean had weaknesses too. Sam and Haley were his strongest folly. Without speaking, Dean nodded gently."Okay…" Dean eventually spoke. "I'll keep Haley here."

Sam nodded in agreement. Sam didn't lack empathy; it was just quite the opposite. Sam had experience. About 2 years ago, Sam took a strong liking to a woman named Maddie, and she turned out to be a werewolf without realizing it. Sam, after coaxing from Dean and Madison herself, did the right thing and put an end to her life in exchange for several lives potentially spared. He did the right thing when the right thing wasn't the easiest thing to do.

"Don't you walk away from me!" Ellen roared closely behind Haley.

"You have no right to tell me who I can and cannot see or spend time with!" Haley retorted angrily as she whipped back around.

"The hell I can't, you're my responsibility!"

"Like you're responsible for all those men who died?" Haley snapped. Ellen's mouth snapped closed with a click. Haley knew it in her heart that she didn't mean the blame she pointed at Ellen, though there was too much pent up resentment to feel shame or regret. Haley was just frustrated from years of being smothered and told what to do and being hidden up in a cabin. The one time she had the chance to do real good, to help make a difference, to help save lives, animal or human, she was locked away in her grandmother's little old cabin; locked away from the world.

Ellen could feel the razor sharp pain of Haley's words slicing inside of her chest. It hurt to hear it off the lips of the girl she'd protect with her life, but what cut deeper were just how true the accusation was, and how even when Haley didn't know the truth, she felt it. Upon the tears pooling over Haley's lids, she turned her back on her grandmother and raced out the front door without a single glance behind her. Ellen felt herself functioning again and called after her, but Haley kept on running. Just at the tree-line, Haley could see Sam's profile as she raced forward; it made her cry harder. Sam called out her name, concerned for her, but he knew Haley was headed toward Dean, and that's where he needed her to go. Sam needed to be here, with Ellen. Ellen could feel her stomach knotting at the sight of the youngest Winchester son, knowing that for him to come here alone, it meant certain trouble.

_The fabric of your flesh, pure as a wedding dress_

_Until I wrap myself inside your arms I cannot rest_

"Hey, you okay?" Dean asked with concern immediately upon seeing Haley's face.

"Not really." Haley sniffled and used her shirt sleeve to wipe the tears from her eyes. Dean, without hesitation, moved in to Haley, wrapping his arms securely around her back and waist, and embraced her wordlessly as she wept.

"What happened?" Dean asked gently as his hand moved up to the back of Haley's head.

"I can't be around her anymore, Dean." Haley sobbed. Dean didn't need for her to elaborate; in fact, he was impressed that everything between Haley and Ellen didn't boil over sooner. "The worst part is I basically told her she killed those men last night, and I can't bring myself to take it back." Dean's expression changed to like he was holding something back, refraining from say something that had just come to him, but Haley was too upset to notice this subtle change.

"It's okay." Dean whispered to Haley - which made her shake her head and bite down on her lower lip to stop more whimpers. "It's gonna be okay." Dean raised his tone just a little higher and gripped her body just enough to gather her attention. "How about you stay here tonight? Get comfortable, have a cup of tea, curl by the fire, forget the drama and just relax. Come tomorrow everything will make sense." Dean smiled halfheartedly.

Haley tried her best to even just raise one corner of her mouth in return. "Okay." She nodded in agreement, her voice was barely audible. "There's something I've got to do first." Haley took out her red cloak and gripped the velvet material in her hand.

"You sure about this?" Dean looked down at Haley who was kneeling by the fireplace.

"You said red doesn't repel wolves." Haley gazed into the bright flames. Dean nodded as Haley looked over her shoulder. "Then I'm sure."

_The saints can't help me now, the ropes have been unbound_

_I hunt for you with bloodied feet across the hallow'd ground_

"On the night I celebrated my 21st birthday, my family's house was attacked by a wolf. We were all asleep; I remember lying in my bed reading a book I had been given for a present, until I heard a shuffling outside my door. By the time I got out of my bed I heard the buckshot. I raced out of my room and to the top of the staircase; I'd never seen anything so horrid. My eldest brother was sprawled on the middle steps; his heart was missing and his blood everywhere. I was immobilized. My little sister was just down the stairs, she held the same fetal position as my brother; she was just 8 years old. I couldn't swallow or breathe. I-I didn't want to look any longer but I couldn't tear my eyes from the horror, it was like because the fear was so immense I didn't have any control over my body, I couldn't command it because the fear was already commanding it."

"It wasn't until my father yanked me by the arm did I realize he was screaming for me to run. I don't even know how long he'd been shouting at me. He pushed me so hard the physical pain snapped me out of my petrified state. He did it twice more, once to make sure I wasn't manic, the last time he pushed me out the back door. I begged him to come with me, but he refused. He ordered me to run while he stayed behind with shotgun in hand. I obeyed. I got half way from the house when I oddly heard my father's voice calling from behind me; his was seemed close – which was odd because I'd ran away from his direction, which meant he was running towards me. At first I was elated, I thought he'd changed his mind and abandoned his hunting duty to come with me. But when I turned to him I got confused. He was crying and begging, I can't even remember what he'd said."

"Then I saw his arm moving fiercely. It looked like flailing in the dark, but as I looked harder it became clearer. He was pointing. I quickly zapped around and was surprised by the wolf tackling me to the ground. I maneuvered myself so that my feet and arms were either just above its mouth or just below it. I ended up kicking the rabid beast off me, and my father followed up by tackling it. He wrestled the beast; just as he raised the gun the wolf took a chunk from his side. I screeched at the top of my lungs in horror, but the beast paid no attention to me, it was too busy eating my father alive in front of me. It was a distraction no less, and if I couldn't save my father, I was damn well going to avenge him. I somersaulted toward the gun, it shook in my hands, but I did what had to be done. I shot that wolf as many times until all the bullets were gone. I remember even pulling the trigger several times after the bullets were gone and wolf was down."

"I laid by my father's side for the rest of the night without moving. When morning came I looked for the body of the wolf, but I found there to be a human body in its place. The woman was tall, had red hair, and all the same wounds the wolf had. My family had contemplated whether or not the myths about wolves being human until the moon came out were true or not, apparently that legend was reality. I was examining the woman when I heard crying coming from the woods. It was the crying of an infant. Like any human, I couldn't ignore those cries. I dashed toward the sound, stopping a few times to determine which direction to proceed, and I found my way to the child. A little girl was wrapped in a yellow blanket and hidden in scores of hay just inside a poorly constructed hut. It was that woman's baby. There was no other explanation. I wanted to hate that baby, I wanted to want to kill it, but I couldn't bring myself to despite its genetics. I took that baby girl as my own and named her after my mother, Haley."

Sam in shock slowly lowered his gun and stared at Ellen, dumbfounded. "You…you didn't kill those men, did you?" Sam came to the realization that the monster he was hunting was someone his brother cared deeply about.

"No, I didn't. Haley did." Ellen confessed lowly. "When Haley was ten, there was an accident. I guess she was arguing with the nanny, refusing to do something, and she pushed the nanny down the stairs. The woman broke her neck and died instantly. Haley was overcome with remorse. She started seeing a therapist, but I doubt she recalls any of this. The doctor said it was normal for a child to try and erase something traumatic. By the time the lunar cycle came around Haley transitioned into a wolf for the first time. Seeing her shift for the first time was too much to bear. She only nicked my arm and didn't get to hurt anybody else. The moment the nanny died, her death triggered the wolf gene in her. I couldn't let her hurt anyone, but I also couldn't hurt her, so I set out to find help."

"I found a man, I don't know what he was, I think he might have been a warlock, but every contact I had pointed me to him. I made a deal with him in exchange for help with Haley's situation. He wanted nothing but an exchange of favors in return for the red velvet cloak he fashioned for her."

"The red cloak? What does that do?" Sam eagerly asked.

"As long as she wears it she doesn't transition into a wolf." Sam's eyes widened.

"But she's been turning-"

"-She's becoming rebellious and keeps taking it off to prove a point. Every hunter she's talked to disputes that red repels wolves and they've been filling her head that I'm a crazy old woman that's nothing but a fool."

"So why not share some family history!" Sam yelled, angered.

"What do you think she'd of done had I told her about her heritage? You think she'd react calmly? No! She'd run for the hills, she'd try to outrun herself. That was the best decision I could think of at the time." Ellen retorted.

Sam disregarded the pointless finger pointing and remembered something important. "Dean. Haley was headed toward him." Sam urgently said.

_Be careful of the curse that falls on young lovers_

_Starts so soft and sweet and turns them to hunters_

"I'll be back. I'm gonna go get some more wood for the fire." Dean said as he slid on his long leather jacket.

"Okay." Haley smiled sweetly and gave Dean a parting peck on his lips. She sighed deeply as she watched him leave. She was happy here, happy with him, Dean made that hole in Haley's chest seem smaller and the pain duller. She loved the way Dean's eyes would catch a green fire when the inferno's light shined on them. The emerald blaze from his eyes was magical.

Haley's head rose as her eyes caught a silver glimmer off of a wall mirror just a few feet from her. The moon was shining brilliantly. It was so gorgeous, that radiance. Haley got to her feet and walked slowly to the window by the back door and watched the moon. Her eyes were consumed by the moon's glaring light. [i]_So beautiful_…[/i]how could anything compare? That wasn't right though. Something did compare, exceed even. Glistening emerald eyes… [i]_Why can I only see the eyes and not the face? I know him… Why can I not remember how he looks? [/i]_Haley's mouth slowly fell open as her breathing sped up. "Dean…" Haley whispered. She felt a panic shoot through her with this odd sensation brewing inside of her. Her body physically ached to be as close to the moon as possible. So confused, Haley felt a shortage of oxygen in the room, like the walls were closing in on her, so she rushed out the back door and tripped over herself in the hurry. The snow that'd begun falling again soaked her clothing almost instantly.

On her knees Haley gasped at the moon. It was impossible, but with every passing second it felt as though the moon was inching closer to her. Haley groaned in pain as the muscles in her back contorted in a direction that was foreign to her. She felt her arm break as she thrust it into the ground. Her fingers dug into the earth, clawing at the soil. Her eyes, once soft and delicate now turned to lustful and vicious. The vein on her forehead throbbed so violently she was sure it was about to rip through her skin. Her teeth grew larger, sharper, pointed, the teeth of a canine.

"Haley?" Dean called as he got back to the fire and saw he was alone. He turned left and right, worry building in him as there was no sight of her. A loud growl, fierce and ominous, escaped between her clenched teeth. Dean ran toward the sound to the back door where he found an animal snarling. Huge in mass, long thick blackish-grey fur, and eyes something of an assortment of coloring, and teeth as pointed as a vampire's fang bore. "Haley…" Dean breathed. [i]_"Come on, Dean, think about it. Those prints lead straight to Haley's house. And every animal death was in the exact same area. We both know werewolves only hunt during the lunar cycle; tonight's our last chance, man." No…_ [/i]Dean choked. They got it wrong. It wasn't Ellen; it was Haley, his beloved Red. She was the beast, the monster that was slave to the moon, the monster hunters were sworn to exterminate.

"Haley!" Dean cried out to the animal. He had hoped she was still in there and had some control, some memory. The wolf's eyes narrowed and saliva fell from its jaw. "Please…" Dean pleaded, tears pooling his eyes. How could this severe of pain be put into words? It couldn't. The pain was in Dean's voice, in his eyes as he watched the woman he loves become a monster in every sense of the word. As the snow fell harder and harder a snowflake landed on Dean's eyebrow and slowly melted down into his eye. The water irritated his eye and he was forced to blink, when he did, his tears trickled down his cheek. The tears caused the same effect as the mirror did when the moon shined down on it. The glimmer of emerald struck the beast's eyesight. The beast howled as it stepped forward, eyes locked on Dean. It watched his eyes for a few seconds, just silently observing. It made Dean's chest feel oddly lighter. Like this was that ray of hope that she, his Haley, was in there somewhere locked away.

Just as he was ready to speak her name again, the beast lunged on top of Dean, knocking him on his back. Dean grunted and wrestled, but it was to no avail. The wolf dug her fangs into his side, blood oozing like a running faucet from the wounds. He cried out in pain as he felt teeth traveling deeper into him.

_A man who's pure of heart and says his prayers by night_

_May still become a wolf when the autumn moon is bright_

"Dean!" Sam's husky voice bellowed from a distance. The beast stopped as it heard the sound. It could smell their scent, their aroma called to her. "Dean!" Sam repeated as he got into the line of sight. Only needed one look at his brother wailing in pain on the snowy ground, he lifted his shotgun and pulled the trigger. The beast whimpered as the bullet pierced its leg. It retreated into the woods almost immediately after the shot. Sam ran to his brother's side and took his hand in his. "Dean!"

"Haley" Dean coughed. "It's Haley."

"I know." Sam admitted sadly. "Ellen, stay with him." Sam began to rise.

"Sammy, no." Dean tried pulling his brother back down to him, but Sam easily pushed him off. "Sammy!" Dean sobbed out to him, conflicted. Scared for Sam's safety, not wanting Haley to be hurt, scared for civilians who she might hurt, so conflicted…

Tears rushed from Ellen's eyes as she saw the red cloak burning away in the fireplace. It was over. She could feel it. Her time with the child she raised, gone. She'd thought she tamed the beast within her, but all she did was prolong the inevitable and make it more heartbreaking for everyone.

"Ellen-"Dean looked over at her.

"-No." Ellen shook her head and charged off into the woods after Sam and Haley. "Ellen!" Dean shouted. His hands gripped his side, squeezing as more blood poured out of him. He gasped for air as he positioned himself on his knees. His heart raced. The hysteria surrounded him. Something pierced his ears. This sound, it was like the ultimate blow to his heart, it knocked whatever wind was left in him out. His brother's cries that was all he could concentrate on, that's all that existed.

Sammy was his responsibility, more than that; there was no Dean without Sam. Sam was quite literately Dean's soul. Whoever he'd come to love, how deeply and truly he'd love them, his love for Sam was the only thing that was constant and would never dull, no matter what it was put through, no matter how either of them changed. As Haley was in every fiber of Ellen, Sam was in every fiber of Dean. Every inch of his genetic makeup was designed to put Sam first and foremost. But he loved Haley. Haley was the only woman aside from his mother, Mary, he loved. That doesn't just get shut off. His heart was torn in two. "Dean!" Sam wept. "No!" Ellen screamed. Dean fought back all the physical pain and emotional turmoil and got to his feet. His blood slid down from his ribs all the way to his feet as he stood up.

Dean's boots tore into the ground, taking snow and dirt with them rapidly. He was four years old again, running to his brother's nursery, hearing the cries of a baby, his father shoving his infant brother into his arms, trusting him and only him to protect this baby, their Sammy.

Ellen dropped to her knees; the shotgun was just inches from her. She looked at it and back to the beast, her beast, as it mauled Sam, biting into his thigh. Her hand shook as her fingers were hovering just above the gun. She was twenty-one again, by her father's side as he bled, faced with the duty of honoring his name and finishing this chapter once and for all. It was different this time, though. She cared for Sam, but Haley belonged to her. She raised this girl; she loved her like any mother loved her young. Beast or no beast, flaws or flawless, right or wrong, she couldn't raise a hand to this girl, not even to save a life of another; not even to save her own life.

"Hey!" The demanding voice had the beast dropping Sam back to the ground. Its eyes locked on the next target. Blood dripped from its chin. Its body heaved as it breathed heavily from eating. Dean stood motionless as he aimed his pistol at the wolf. Dean was always prepared. When he'd gone out to get more firewood he packed his pistol, filled with silver bullets, in his pants, just in case it was needed. His expression was tortured as he peered at the beast. A half second of hesitation sent the wolf jumping towards Dean. He anticipated such a move, not one to be caught off guard twice, and pulled back on the trigger, sending a silver bullet flying into the chest of the werewolf, of Haley.

The Wolf crashed into the ground. It heaved, whimpering and whining as the silver traveled through its bloodstream. Dean walked over to the wolf. He stood just over it, eyes filled with pain and tears. "I'm so sorry." He was barely able to be heard. The pistol shook in his hand as he raised it again, sending another bullet directly into the heart of Haley, ending her agony.

With her last ounce of life, the wolf looked up at Dean. She looked into those emerald eyes, eyes she knew she remembered once, these eyes, they truly took her breath away.

_If you could only see the beast you've made of me_

_I held it in but now it seems you've set it running free_

_The saints can't help me now, the ropes have been unbound_

_I hunt for you with bloody feet across the hallow'd ground_


End file.
